第二章

1 「你要寫信給以弗所教會的使者，說：『那右手拿著七星、在七個金燈臺中間行走的，說：2 我知道你的行為、勞碌、忍耐，也知道你不能容忍惡人。你也曾試驗那自稱為使徒卻不是使徒的，看出他們是假的來。3 你也能忍耐，曾為我的名勞苦，並不乏倦。4 然而有一件事我要責備你，就是你把起初的愛心離棄了。5 所以，應當回想你是從哪裏墜落的，並要悔改，行起初所行的事。你若不悔改，我就臨到你那裏，把你的燈臺從原處挪去。6 然而你還有一件可取的事，就是你恨惡尼哥拉一黨人的行為，這也是我所恨惡的。7 聖靈向眾教會所說的話，凡有耳的，就應當聽！得勝的，我必將神樂園中生命樹的果子賜給他吃。』」

 

默想：

1. 思想我們自己的教會，在那些方面是與以弗所教會相似的？
2. 現在專注在我與主的關係上，第4節對我說了什麼話？我是否已經失去了當初對主的愛心？
3. 我當如何重拾那當初對主的愛心？是什麼使我遠離了主？我當在那些方面悔改？若我並沒有遠離當初對主的愛，我怎樣能夠持續對神忠心，愛神？

禱告與筆錄：

繼續安靜在神面前，與神對話，並聆聽祂對我說的話。將心中的思想（心得），或是與神的禱告，記錄在「靈程筆記簿」上面。

 

Chapter2

¹“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands: ²I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. ³You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. ⁴Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. ⁵Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. ⁶But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

 

Meditation

1. Think about our own church. In what ways is it similar to the church at Ephesus?
2. Focus on the relationship between me and the Lord.  How does v.4 speak to me? Have I walked away from my first love for the Lord?
3. How can I regain that first love? What have distracted me from the Lord? In what areas should I repent? If I haven’t walked away from my first love, how can I continue to be faithful and in love with God?

Prayer & Journaling:

Stay with God for a little longer.  Continue to converse with God and listen to what he wants to tell me.  Then write down any thought and/or prayer in the 2012 “Spiritual Journal” book.